


Pirates of the Caribbean Ficlets 2006

by the_dala



Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies)
Genre: Drabble Collection, F/M, Ficlet Collection, Gen, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:02:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 3,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26205385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_dala/pseuds/the_dala
Summary: "Bloody pirates!"A collection of drabbles or ficlets written to prompts in 2006 (before the premiere of DMC). Pick your favorite pairing or your favorite flavor, from angst to fluff to gen.
Relationships: Jack Sparrow/Elizabeth Swann, Jack Sparrow/Will Turner, James Norrington/Elizabeth Swann, James Norrington/Jack Sparrow, Theodore Groves/James Norrington/Jack Sparrow, Will Turner/Theodore Groves
Comments: 1
Kudos: 44





	1. The Truth Shall Set You Free (Jack/James)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Jack, James, a truth

The little vial cost him dearly, but when Jack was struck by a whim, few things could discourage him. His conscience did its best but lost out in the end – it was all words, really, no harm done. Expecting something along the lines of _I kissed an altar boy once_ or _The scent of peppermint makes me ill_ or _Sometimes I think about you in corsets and skirts with silk garters binding your wrists_ , he leaned over and whispered in James’s ear, “Tell us a secret, Commodore mine.”

James shook his head, fighting it, his face pale and pinched. Jack was beginning to feel very badly about his fun when the other man said, in a voice like his lungs were closing in, “I love you, more than I can stand, and I fear we’ll be the death of one another.”

He gasped, fingers clutching at Jack’s shirt. Jack closed his eyes, laid his cheek on James’s shoulder, and cursed himself.


	2. Navy Blues (Will/Groves)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Will, Groves, a kiss

“Pirates,” Will Turner muttered, shaking off the hands of several officers into whose preferred tavern he had unfortunately stumbled. “ _Bloody pirates_!” he shouted into the street, startling a few passing revelers.

“I’ll see him home,” said Theodore Groves, holding tight to Turner’s arm above his elbow. To general surprise the blacksmith quieted somewhat, lifting his mug to his face and stumbling against Groves’ side. He blinked in confusion when Groves plucked it from his hands and handed it to a concerned barmaid. For his bravery and his fine craftsmanship, Will was still popular amongst the townfolk.

All the way back to the smithy, Groves listened patiently to the man’s drunken ramblings about the inconstancy of the female sex and the reliable blessing of male friendship (provided those men were not also pirates, Groves assumed). Under the sign newly bearing his name, he lurched to a stop and flung Groves against the door, nibbling at his neck.

“Not tonight, Mr. Turner,” said Groves, turning his face away from the attention. “You’ll be bad enough off in the morning as it is.”

Will pressed maddeningly against him and whispered, “‘M fine, Theo, honest – please –”

Despite himself Groves wavered, and stayed still long enough for a messy, eager kiss while he considered probabilities. When the probability that Will would vomit on his shoes decisively trounced the probability that Groves would find himself pleasantly rewarded for his troubles, his mind was made for him.

“Sorry,” Will mumbled, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“It’s all right, Will,” Groves sighed, guiding the inebriated blacksmith through the door. “Let’s get you to bed, shall we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this the first Will/Groves on Ao3? High-five to my 14 years younger self!


	3. A Wig of a Different Color (Jack/James)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Jack, James, a wig

“This wig,” said James, plucking it up with thumb and forefinger, “is stolen.”

Jack pouted and planted his hands on his hips. “Honestly, Jamie, I promised I’d fetch you a new one and so I have. I’d think a gen’leman might show a bit more grace. Besides,” he added with an insulted sniff, “what’s your proof?”

“It is long, curled, and gray,” James replied flatly, gazing at the wig like it was a dead rat. “I recognize it. You forgot your promise and filched this from the governor’s collection on your way here.”

Flinging himself down on the settee, Jack kicked his heels up on James’s lap and grumbled, “Such a picky bugger y’are.”


	4. Worth Beyond Measure (Jack/Will unrequited)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Jack, Will, a sword

“Jack,” said Will, awe evident in his voice and his wide brown eyes, “this is too fine a gift for the likes of me.”

“Nonsense,” Jack replied, uncommonly still as he watched Will handle the curved blade with the reverence of a pilgrim, testing its edge with a fingertip, grinning at the blood beading on his skin. He fingered the hilt of his own Turner-made sword. “It’s a piece of art fit for a master, an’ it suits you well.”

Biting his lip, Will slid the katana back into its scabbard and turned his worshipful gaze on Jack. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

Suggestions flitted through Jack’s head – _let me show you how to wield it, let me take you to meet the man who made it, ask me for the blade it’s meant to have as mate_.

Instead he swallowed hard, battening them down, and reached into his pack. “Where might the missus be? I’ve a present for her as well – silk enough for a gown as well as something in wee Anna’s size...”


	5. Brokering the Peace (Jack/James)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Jack, James, a hat

He'd had the shot – the perfect shot. 

Jack turned his hat over and over in his hands, poking his fingers through the twin holes in the brim, as if he could puzzle out the whys and wherefores by close examination of the evidence. 

_And yet he didn’t take it. What is it he wants?_

For weeks the incident haunted his mind, long after the _Pearl’s_ repairs were complete. The next time they docked in Tortuga, he found a package awaiting him at the Faithful Bride.

_My apologies. I do hope it finds you in good health, and if you were to reciprocate with a replacement for the coat torn under your blade, it would be very well-received._

_-JPN._

Jack tucked the note into his pocket, cocked the smart leather tricorn on his head, and set off for the tailor’s.


	6. Noel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Jack, James, a small, white, fluffy kitten with a big red bow on its head

Christmas morning broke before dawn in the household of Commodore James Norrington, with a bloodcurdling scream.

Gretchen threw on her cap and dressing gown and bolted from her room beneath the stairs. Flinging open the commodore's door, fearing a pirate raid like she'd heard tell of two years ago, she was startled beyond speech by what met her eyes instead.

"You've frightened 'im!" exclaimed a man who, in Gretchen's opinion, looked quite frightening himself, with his painted eyes and wickedly curved sword. He was cradling a tiny white puffball with a bright red ribbon tied around its neck.

"It leapt on me," the commodore snapped, running a hand through his short dark hair. Gretchen blushed to see the open laces on his nightshirt, leaving most of his chest bare.

The stranger bounced the white puffball in his arms, causing it to mew in protest. "Bloody great Commodore, afraid of a mincing kitten?" When he grinned she saw that he was overwhelmingly handsome, though some of his teeth flashed gold. He seemed every bit the pirate she'd feared, except for the charm of his smile and his apparent intimacy with her master.

Norrington rolled his eyes heavenward and stretched a long arm toward the man. "For God's sake, Jack, let it go before you squeeze it to death, and come here to greet me properly."

The stranger's grin took a salacious twist as he set the kitten down, and he dropped onto the bed for what Gretchen would not under any circumstances call a _proper_ greeting.

The white kitten darted for her, narrowly missing death when she shut the door in alarm at the tableau on the bed. It did not seem to resent her, however, for it twined itself around her ankles and puffed its whiskers at her.

"Come along, then, puss," she whispered as she scooped it up, doubting the commodore would miss it any time soon. "I've some milk in the larder, and a drop of brandy for me own nerves."


	7. Burning Bright (Jack/James)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Jack, James, a confession

"I've a confession to make," Jack announces, thighs spanning James' lap, hands easily coaxing a little crack from his spine, between the shoulder blades.

James exhales with relief, his breath setting Jack's hair to chiming. "Oh?" he says, distracted by the slow, sinuous curves of Jack's hips. He frowns when Jack stops moving. "And what might that be?"

"This one ain't from Bombay," Jack replies, chin tucked to his chest. He places James' hand on his belly to clarify his statement. He blinks twice, very slowly, and James knows he is trying not to shiver from the gentle touch tracing the black outline above his navel. "It was meant t' be a lion," he adds in an aggrieved tone, keen eyes watching for the light of comprehension to cross James' face.

James pushes the lean body back and ducks his head to press his lips to the inked tiger, meaning to hide his smile -- but Jack catches a glimpse of it anyway, because it was the prize he'd sought to begin with.


	8. An Officer and a Gentleman (gen)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Jack, James, a glass of water

"Excuse me, Commodore, but might I trouble you for --"

"No rum," said James sharply, for the fourth time in ten minutes. The query was almost a relief from his mental self-flagellation over having taken a shift watching Sparrow. With the Governor, Miss Swann, and Turner occupying the spare berths aboard the _Dauntless_ , there was hardly an inch of free space. As James had no wish to be responsible for murder in the brig, he hadn't been able to throw Sparrow in with his fellow pirates; however, he was suspicious of the young people's obvious sympathy for Sparrow, and so the latter was kept under a close watch in Lieutenant Gillette's cabin in addition to chains.

Sparrow let his head fall back against the bulkhead with a thunk and a sigh. "A glass of water," he finished in a low, dull tone quite different from any manner of his speech James had heard before.

"Mr. Keynes, a pitcher of water, please," he called, propping the door open with his foot and avoiding the curious gaze swung on him.


	9. Road Less Traveled (gen)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Jack, Barbossa, a second chance

"I like such order as can be had on my ship," said Jack Sparrow, pacing agitatedly in front of Hector Barbossa, who to his eyes seemed unnatural calm for a man that'd just knifed a mate in the back.

"He threatened me," said Barbossa, raising an eyebrow. "Ask Pat Murphy or Red Joe, or Bill Turner. Said 'e meant t' slit me throat whilst I slept."

Jack whirled on his heel, wishing he didn't have to look up to meet Barbossa's eyes. "If that be so, why did you not seek me out at once? The captain ought to hear such talk before Pat or Bill!"

Barbossa nodded, casting his gaze downward. "Aye, sir," he said in that odd voice, rough as any sailor's but smooth as cream when it slipped in your ears. "In future I'll keep me temper stowed. But Cap'n, I ain't sailed on so fine a ship as this in many a month --" He grasped Jack's sleeve, watery blue eyes desperate and troubled. "Please don't put me ashore fer a moment o' blindness."

Jack felt a twitch at the corner of his mouth. He'd never much liked Jim Pruitt; the man had possessed a tendency to silent observation that unnerved captain and crew alike. Of course this was no excuse for killing, but if it'd been a true fight and the others would swear to it -- Turner at least was as honest a fellow as one was likely to find amongst pirates...

"All right," he said, with a mixture of relief and apprehension, for truth be told, he did not much like Hector Barbossa either, defensible actions or not. "You've one chance with me, Mr. Barbossa. See that you don't waste it."

"Oh, I intend on makin' the most of it," the man assured his captain, taking up his bloodstained coat.


	10. Masquerade (Jack/Will)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Jack, Will, a makeover

The speed with which Jack put together a suitable pirate's wardrobe for Will was only exceeded by his speed in taking it off.

At least such things as could be taken off -- " _Oh_ ," Will cried sharply as Jack's teeth closed on the gold ring in his ear. He uttered a much softer, much lower exclamation when Jack soothed the sting with a delicate swipe of tongue. His lids felt heavy beneath the unaccustomed weight of kohl, which had already been smudged at the corners by Jack's nose as he ranged kisses over Will's face.

"No worries, love," Jack panted, tugging at the stiff new laces of Will's breeches and wrapping fingers around the stiff length of his cock, which was also new, at least to Jack. He was fairly certain the sounds Will was making were not from distress as they sounded, but he kissed the boy in reassurance nonetheless, tweaking a nipple with his free hand. "I had you done up proper, an' I'll have you laid out proper too."


	11. Raja (Jack/James)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Jack, James, a tiger cub

"Jack, I cannot possibly keep this," James protested, trying to shove the bundle back into the pirate's arms.

"He's a gift!" Jack pushed the bundle back, roughly enough to earn himself a fierce, tiny growl.

James rolled his eyes. "No, 'he' is a burden you are trying to foist on me, no doubt stolen from some abominably wealthy lord with an exotic menagerie." He feared for a moment that perhaps it had been meant for the King's menagerie, but surely Jack wouldn't have dared...or James would have heard of it by now, at least.

To his surprise Jack dropped the wounded rooster impression and shrugged, his mouth firming into a grim line. "That's true enough, but the man in port I tried to sell 'im to was a nasty sort -- all his beasts were sickly and dull-eyed. I just couldn't leave the little fellow there."

"I never would have thought you such a soft touch for the animal kingdom, Jack," said James, finding the discovery endearing despite all this trouble it had brought him.

Jack rubbed the cub under its chin, smiling at its rumbly pleased sounds and the paw it batted at his arm. "Aye, well, it must be age and influence." Before James could say a word, he added wryly, "I've stepped on all three tails in that house o' yours, Jamie."

The cub was certainly heavier than any of his cats, even at such a young age. "I suppose I've room for a cage in the garden, but why didn't you return him from whence he came? Surely there is plunder aplenty in Indian waters."

"Too far to sail," said Jack quietly, running his fingertips over the cub's striped head.


	12. For All Our Sakes (Jack/Groves/Norrington)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Jack, Groves, a naked Norrington

James Norrington was not the flogging type, having only resorted to the cat twice in the eight years he'd had command, when he had been certain of no other recourse. He preferred to lead by example rather than punishment, and as far as he could tell, his men were the better for it.

Except one.

"Teddy, my lad!" Jack Sparrow said warmly, clapping Theodore Groves on the back and winking at James, who blushed even deeper and grumbled into his gag. "I don't believe I've ever been brought a finer gift."

The list of people allowed to see James in the nude was extremely short. Groves had practically written a petition months upon months ago, but had only recently been rewarded for his obvious intentions. James certainly hoped he had enjoyed the brief interlude, because after tonight's little performance --

"You'll thank me in the morning, sir," Groves whispered in his ear with a self-satisfied grin, kneeling on the bed. One of Sparrow's hands patted his cheek while the other stroked James's thigh, and up -- up --

Well. Yes, he probably would. Provided they removed the gag at some point.


	13. Everything Old Is New Again (Elizabeth/James)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Elizabeth, Norrington, hope

At first the days had flowed like wine cut with fresh water so that she could drink freely, sweetened with honey for her delight. But in time the bitterness ran over, and the taste became too heavy and stale for either of them to stand it. She wore dark colors after he left -- black on Sundays -- and the town collectively accepted her as a widow. Even amongst themselves whispered his name as though he were dead. For all they knew, he could be.

Exactly one year later, she set off for the day wearing a pale green gown sprigged with cream-colored lily-of-the-valley. James knew it well, for it had been the dress she wore when first they danced in the governor's ballroom. The hem was a bit frayed after all this time, but the colors were true.

She waited by the fort for an hour that morning, fanning herself from time to time, unaware that he had changed offices and could see her clearly beneath his window. When the sun rose high, he took pity and went down to cross her path.

"Good morning, Miss Swann. You look well in that color," he said with a short bow.

"Thank you, James. It seems forever since I have worn it." She met his eyes and smiled a smile at once familiar and utterly new. Modesty would never suit her, but a softening of pride, a weathering of heart -- he liked that countenance very much.


	14. Proposition (gen)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Jack, Groves, a chance

"Don't I know you, son?" Jack squints at the man across the table, who rubs a palm over his short-cropped dark hair in obvious discomfort.

"I have no memory of our ever meeting, sir," he says -- smooth, accomplished at lying, and most certainly not born in a barn. His clothes are ill-fitting and patched, but he hasn't thought to exchange his fine boots for a more weathered and thus convincing pair. If his blood doesn't run Navy blue, Jack will eat Mr. Cotton's parrot.

Taking note of the bruise on the lad's cheek, Jack quells his nagging memory -- he passed eyes over many a sailor in his recent brush, and reckons he would hardly recognize the commodore out of wig and uniform. It's his job to ascertain the lad's suitability to the _Pearl_ , not to suss out what he's running from.

"All right then, Mr....Groves, is it? I've a few berths open, now I think on it..."


	15. A Fowl Truce (gen)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Cotton's parrot, Gibbs, pinching

Gibbs loved animals and handled them well. The first twelve years of his life had been spent on a farm with all manner of creatures; he'd kept a dog whenever he lived on land after, however short that time had been; he made sure every ship he sailed had a good rat-catcher or two. Beasts just took to some people (and took offense to some others, as the captain could attest).

But Cotton's parrot had a habit of snatching caps from his head, ruffling its feathers at him whenever he spoke to Cotton, and pinching him with its beak whenever it thought no one was looking. "Shot 'cross yer bow! Letter o' marque!" it shrieked whenever he protested, and Cotton frowned at its fibbing.

Gibbs tried everything he could think to woo the blasted bird, but it remained unmoved until the day he dropped a chunk of biscuit he'd been sopping in rum. He'd never had much dealing with birds smarter than geese or chicken, and he'd never suspected a parrot might share a man's weakness.


	16. Blow Ye Winds (Jack/Elizabeth)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Jack, Elizabeth, a storm

"You cannot make it rain," Elizabeth snapped, itching to slap the smug grin off her captain's face. Raising her arm for anything not absolutely vital would require too much effort in this heat, however. It had taken an hour to talk herself out of slicing her dirk through the heavy weight of her hair today; only a vivid sense of how much she'd regret the loss of her last vanity had stopped her hand. "Or you'd have done so already." He was immune to the heat no less than she, and he felt the groans of his becalmed ship as well.

"Oh, I can, lass," he assured her, crossing his arms over his bare chest, daring her to watch the sweat run down his bronzed skin. She defied him, but from his grin, he knew how hard she had to fight. "The question is," he said, leaning too close for the heat -- too close entirely -- "How much d'you want it?"

When it did begin to rain not two hours later, Jack was not on deck to enjoy his victory and Elizabeth was not surprised.

"You are merely a lucky bastard," she told him primly, slamming the cabin door and shucking her shirt.

Lounging nude on the cot, Jack flashed his teeth at her and admitted, "Been called that in me time, true enough."

Elizabeth snorted in derision even as the low rumble over the waves sent an answering call through her blood. She'd seen enough tropical weather to gauge they had about half an hour til the storm struck true, and she intended to make him work for his victory.


	17. Last Rites (Jack/James)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Jack, James, a story  
> As you might have guessed from the title: character death

Jack Sparrow died at a monastery in Florida. He raved through a steadily mounting fever for five days, talking of pearls and gold and bones, snarling at the Spanish monks who tended him. On the six day, a man dressed in blue came -- the admiral of the English fleet, according to the clumsy translation of a young acolyte. The monks wanted no trouble with any navy, but the admiral took off his hat and spoke to them in their own language, so they allowed him to stay, although the pair who had cared for Sparrow most regularly stood guard at the door.

When Sparrow saw him, his face cleared and he stopped shredding the corner of his blanket. "James," he said, fixing his dark eyes on the admiral's face.

"Aye, Jack," said the admiral softly, kneeling beside the pallet. He laid his hand on the laboring breast, and Sparrow curled all his fingers around it. "I would have come sooner if I'd known."

"No worries," said Sparrow, his grin breaking into a grimace. When the fit of coughing ended, he murmured, "Tell me -- tell it all again."

The admiral's green eyes went distant for a spell, but he recovered before Sparrow noticed, and his smile was no less kind for the effort it clearly cost him. "Well, I suppose it must begin with a ship..."

The monks left them be and returned in the early hours of the morning to say their prayers. Though they had cleared a space in the garden, they bequeathed the body to the admiral, who took it with him when he sailed.


End file.
